


that's a lost boy (oh if he were mine)

by bluesandbirds



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Bad Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), But also, Dream Smp, Family Crynamics, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Phil Watson's A+ Parenting, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Gets a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, i mean when is it not, mama puffy supremacy, more specifically - Freeform, not super relevant but its true
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29305014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesandbirds/pseuds/bluesandbirds
Summary: Puffy's spent a lot of time being a parent to people who don't need her. She's not quite sure what to do with this one who does.But, goddamn, if she isn't willing to try.(This time, she won't fail.)
Relationships: Cara | CaptainPuffy & TommyInnit
Comments: 51
Kudos: 815
Collections: Cheshire's MCYT recs!, Completed stories I've read, MCYT Fic Rec





	that's a lost boy (oh if he were mine)

**Author's Note:**

> title from "lost boy" by ryan scott oliver, a textbook tommyinnit song that literally follows his story so well
> 
> ty to ghost/boffytooz, my consultant for most things

The grand opening of the _Big Innit Hotel_ is a wild success if Puffy says so herself.

Despite Tommy’s not-very-subtle fears, plenty of people did show up, carrying diamonds and drugs-a-plenty. She herself entered with an excitable Tubbo practically vibrating at her side and an unbothered Foolish strolling behind them. Sam and Tommy greeted everyone at the door, Sam still keeping up that strange _Animal Crossing_ persona—if it makes Tommy happy, who is she to judge?—and Tommy boasting a pleased grin.

It’s about two hours into the festivities and nothing’s burned down, nobody’s dead, and only a few crimes have been committed. By Dream SMP standards, it’s the best party ever thrown on the server, so they’ll all toast to that.

Unfortunately, Puffy can’t bask in the moment as much as she’d like to because her _something is very very very wrong please don’t let it be evil vines_ sense is going off like crazy. She quickly scans the room.

Bad and the rest of the shady Egg folks are mingling around the strange potted plant Tommy set in the corner of the room.

Tubbo is wildly gesticulating to an audience of Sapnap and Ranboo who is wringing his hands and glancing over his shoulder intermittently.

A group of Connor, Eret, and a few others she doesn’t quite recognize are congregating by the buffet table.

Niki and Jack stand by the entrance, heads ducked towards each other in conversation.

Puffy frowns.

The man of the hour himself is conspicuously absent. 

She sets down her drink and crosses the room—dodging the wayward dance moves of Karl Jacobs and Quackity—towards Awesamdude who has been watching the whole affair from the front desk.

Pressing up on her toes a bit, Puffy leans over the desk towards Sam.

“Have you seen Tommy anywhere?” she says, loud enough so he can hear, but softly as to not be overheard.

She can’t see his expression behind his mask, but Sam holds up one finger and starts typing on his communicator.

Puffy rolls her eyes. “Tommy’s not here, you don’t have to do the Sam Nook bit.”

Nevertheless, she hears the familiar chattering sounds from his communicator. She sighs and flicks on her own.

HELLO, CAPTAIN PUFFY. IT DOES APPEAR THAT TOMMYINNIT HAS EXITED THE PREMISES. I DO BELIEVE HE HAS GONE LEFT TOWARDS THE FORMER SITE OF THE COUNTRY, L’MANBURG. DO TRY TO BRING MISTER INNIT BACK BEFORE THE END OF THE PARTY. IT WOULD BE A SHAME FOR HIM TO MISS OUT ON ALL THE FUN.

There’s a determined tilt to her chin when she looks up.

“Will do, Sam.”

And then she slips out the front entrance, unnoticed by the hotel’s preoccupied inhabitants.

Puffy’s never much liked walking around the area of L’Manburg. There’s something about it that doesn’t feel… right. The whole place is a tomb. A time capsule. A warning.

The oak wood beneath her boots is dirty and worn, but strangely free of cracks and burns. She wonders how many times this very path has been replaced.

On the other side of the tunnel past Tommy’s shack, she sees a small figure sitting on the grass next to the path.

It’s Tommy.

She comes to a stop a little ways behind him, sure her boots have made enough noise so this war-trained child has heard her approach.

“Got room for another?” she asks.

Rather than answer her out loud—an unsettling change from the boy who never turned down the opportunity to talk—Tommy scoots over and pats the ground next to him.

She takes the invitation.

Settling down on the cool grass, she glances at the boy from the corner of her eye, but fails to catch a glimpse at his expression. In his hands, he tosses back and forth a dented communicator. Red and white sneakers swing in the air beneath them, knocking dirt into the river below. It would almost be a cute, childish picture if Puffy didn’t find her stomach sinking at his dark demeanor and proximity to the edge.

“So…” she tries, mentally cursing her lack of actual experience with kids. “What brings you out here?”

Luckily, Tommy’s dealt with people more socially inept than her. He tilts the screen of his communicator so Puffy can see.

_Technoblade has made the advancement [Hot Tourist Destinations]_

_Philza has made the advancement [Hot Tourist Destinations]_

Puffy’s heart sinks in her chest as she looks at the broken boy on the edge of his broken city.

“No excuse of ‘missing invitations’ this time,” Tommy’s voice is quiet when he finally speaks, “Not that he bothered with one.” 

He’s got his head bent and entire body curled in towards himself as if trying to exist in as little space as possible. 

“I should’ve known.” 

“Tommy—” Puffy starts.

“I should’ve,” he says more forcefully. “If the ‘never being around’ wasn’t enough, then maybe the favoritism, or the dismissals, or the blowing up my fucking country, should’ve been.”

Something compels her to slowly reach out, hand hovering in the air before settling comfortingly on his back. She feels sharp shoulder blades under her touch and how he tenses before relaxing into it.

He continues, “But of course, immature, annoying, selfish, worthless TommyInnit couldn’t take the fucking hint.” He emphasizes each word with a fistful of grass yanked from the ground. “Couldn’t learn his fucking lesson.” A laugh rips from his throat. Not the explosive, joyful shriek that could make even wardens’ lips twist up, but a bitter, ragged sound like broken glass. “Well, I got it this time, _Dadza_. Thanks a lot.”

Puffy swallows. Mustering some of that kindness she’s found to be such a commodity on this server, she shifts so she can face him better. “Look, Tommy.” She tilts her head, trying to catch his eyes. “Hey.”

Dull blue eyes meet hers. 

She speaks softly, but with no absence of conviction, “I can’t pretend to know what Philza is thinking or why he does what he does, but I can tell you right now that you didn’t deserve that. Okay? Tommy, _you didn’t deserve that._ ” 

There’s a growing sheen in his eyes and his lip quivers ever-so-slightly. He whips his head to the side, unwilling to match her stare any longer.

Her hand moves up to give a light squeeze on his shoulder.

She hears him open and close his mouth a few times. His fingers bury in the dirt at his sides.

Haltingly, he says, “I think he used to love Wilbur at least. And I know he loves Techno. He probably even fucking loves Boob Boy too, but me? He never—” He sucks in a breath. 

“I mean, he named me _Theseus_ ,” Tommy says, voice trembling, “You don’t do that to a kid you want to grow up happy.” His voice breaks at the end and this time he doesn’t manage to catch himself before he shatters.

But Puffy does, throwing all hesitance to the wind to pull this boy into a hug and so—above the home he lived and fought and died for and in full view of an uncaring world—TommyInnit falls apart in her arms.

The angle is awkward because he’s much, much taller than her, practically folded over to fit beneath her chin, but he melts into the embrace and Puffy can’t imagine letting him go. She feels the growing wetness where his head is tucked and the way he’s all skin and bones and paper mache. His arms come around, dirty, raw fingers clutching at the back of her jacket.

“I don’t want to be Theseus,” he sobs into her shirt. Whispers it like a grievous sin or confession. “Please don’t let me be Theseus.”

Puffy holds him tight, offers promises and reassurances in the same breath, and resolves that if the Angel of Death or the Blade or the Universe won’t take care of this boy, she will.

She is a Knight, after all, and she serves to protect. So she’ll protect Tommy from those who seek to do harm, and she’ll protect him from his own nightmares, and she’ll protect him from the prophecies forced upon his head.

And maybe, as long as he’ll have her, she won’t let him go at all.

They stumble back to the hotel, Tommy furiously wiping at his face as she reassures him that it's not noticeable and if it is, it doesn't make him any less of a Big Man.

When they enter, they're greeted by Sam's fully capitalized concern and an "I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK YOU'VE DONE HERE, TOMMYINNIT" tacked on the end that makes the boy's eyes widen as he goes stock still. Puffy almost pokes him before he shakes out of it and a blinding grin splits his face, sunshine playing across his lips.

A breath later, Tubbo races over, eagerly tugging Tommy into conversation with Foolish and Quackity who accept him with a teasing remark and an arm thrown over his shoulder.

Puffy watches this all with a smile.

There might be some merit to their patchwork, little family after all.

**Author's Note:**

> this doesnt fall within the found family type canon of any of my other stories, but the angst was there so i wrote it
> 
> go follow my tumblr businessbois (if you want i mean i wont force you) i do stuff on there


End file.
